Effects of Metal Contamination on Hydroxylammonium Nitrate-Based LiquidMonopropellants

摘要

A hydroxylammonium-nitrate-based liquid gu n propellant, LGP 1846, wasintentionally contaminated with four separate metals and subjected to storage, shock sensitivity, and closed-bomb tests. The metal contaminants used in this study were iron, copper, nickel, and aluminum. The contaminant concentrations for the storage and the sensitivity tests were approximately 25, 75, and 100 ppm. For the closed-bomb tests, a concentration of approximately 100 ppm was used. Results indicated that the contaminated samples were stable for at least two weeks. The addition of the contaminants increased the sensitivity of the LGP 1984 slightly. The closed-bomb results showed that the contaminants decreased the time required to ignite the propellant by hot wire. The closed-bomb tests also showed that the nickel and aluminum contaminants tended to decrease ignition delay times by 22% and 19.5%, respectively. The iron and copper samples showed 5.6% and 2.6% decreases in ignition delay. Also, the fizz-to-flame transition pressure was found to differ from that found in a previous study. (ttl)